Brooks Claimed

The 49ers gambled Sunday, releasing a solid character and able player in Dontarrious Thomas, and replacing him with the sometimes troubled and sometimes ill-motivated Ahmad Brooks. The team nearly nabbed Brooks in the 2006 supplemental draft, the 49ers were willing to part with a 4th-round choice for Brooks, who had been booted off the University of Virginia team for academic and legal problems.

The Bengals surrendered a third-rounder for Brooks in the 2006 supplemental draft and recently waived him during Sunday’s last round of cuts. At 260 pounds and a one-time candidate for the Butkus award at Virginia, Brooks is a malleable player with the talent to pass-rush, tackle and cover. In his rookie season in Cincinnati, Brooks started five games and last season he won the job at middle linebacker. In season opener against the Ravens, Brooks made eight tackles, a sack and forced a fumble, and seemingly, was fulfilling his potential.

The next week he sustained a groin injury against the Browns. A chronic problem since college, Brooks underwent season-ending surgery.

Brooks was shifted from the middle to strong outside linebacker this year and he quickly sank in the depth chart from second to third string early in training camp under new defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer.

It’s likely the 49ers will station Brooks at ted, the strong outside spot, the position he didn’t take to in Cincinnati. The team might feel that Brooks could respond in San Francisco with the inspirational Mike Singletary as his position coach and leaders like Patrick Willis and Jeff Ulbrich as his fellow linebackers.

Even though it’s a gamble to waive Thomas, the 49ers don’t lose too much by releasing him. He didn’t pan out at the strong-side linebacker spot and was shifted to back up Willis on the weak side. Now Brooks will compete with Ulbrich and Takeo Spikes at the ted spot.

Brooks’s signing might be a commentary on Spikes, who has yet to over take Ulbrich as the starting ted.

CLAYTON BACK: For some unknown reason, running back Thomas Clayton cleared waiver and signed back to the 49ers’ practice squad. He joins DT Atiyyah Ellison, TE J.J. Finley, LB Larry Grant, DE Louis Holmes and WR Dominique Zeigler. The two still has two spots left and I’d like to see him sign former Cal guard Brian de la Puente.